Services at the Laurelbrook Seventh-day Adventist Church on January 20, 2007 began with a Sabbath School song service led by staff member James Brenneman, accompanied by retired music teacher Florence Paulk. John Ellis had prayer and then read the scripture reading. Rodney Herra then welcomed everyone.

Instead of a foreign mission story, Bubba Herra talked about a local Pathfinder experience in South Dakota. The Pathfinders there helped a lady who had lost her son by suicide to get her needed winter wood. Mimose and Nicos (both sophomores) collected the Laurelbrook Missions Offering, which helps students and staff members go on mission trips.

Rodney Herra concluded with a few remarks about changing our lives. He illustrated this point by telling a story about a pine tree who tried to be like an apple tree. The tree hung apples on his branches, which the children ate. But later the apples decayed. In Galatians 5, it talks about the fruits of the Spirit. We try to change ourselves, but we cannot succeed without the help of the Holy Spirit. The apple tree puts on apples because that is its nature. John 15:1 says that Christ is the true Vine. If we are not connected to Him, we cannot produce the fruits we wish. Allow yourself to be connected to the True Vine. He closed with prayer.

The congregation broke up into several Sabbath School classes to study Solomon and his pleasures. The Laurelbrook Chorale was away on a concert tour in North Carolina so there were fewer students present and two student classes instead of three.

Between services, the director of Women’s Care Center in Dayton told the congregation about the activities of the Women’s Care Center. She told the congregation that this week was devoted to the sanctity of human life. Following are notes on her talk:

1.

Since 1973 and the decision of Roe versus Wade, 47 million babies were aborted, 5600 babies a day (the size of the population of Canada).

2.

In 2004, 14,000 babies were aborted in Tennessee, half the size of the population of Rhea County. Seven out of ten women who have abortions say they are Christians.

3.

The Center provides free pregnancy tests and then counsel the women concerned. There is a trained staff member who will lead people through a post-abortion Bible study to help people with their guilt.

4.

There is a national memorial for the unborn in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

5.

The Center provides diapers and other things for newborn babies. This really helps low-income women.

6.

The Center has classes dealing with pregnancies for women who are expecting.

7.

Please pray for our front-line ministry.

8.

John 1:4 “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”

When services resumed at 11:00, Larry Owens, Laurelbrook’s pastor, had the invocation or opening prayer. Clifton Brandt, a member of Laurelbrook’s maintenance department, welcomed everyone and made the necessary announcements. Everyone then sang “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”. Clifton Brandt had the Morning Prayer and called for the offering, which was for local church budget; and staff members Roger Westfall and Timmy King collected the offering. The congregation sang the doxology, and Mr. Bob (Robert D. Zollinger, past president and present board chairman of Laurelbrook) prayed for the offering.

Brenda, a cook in the school kitchen, told the children a story about a family who went on a picnic. One of the boys noticed a man mowing the lawn and gave him his class of lemonade. The man mentioned that he worked in the park all the year around. The boy got a sled for Christmas, but other children climbed on the sled instead. The sled wound up in the river next to the park, and the boy wanted to cry. The man rescued the sled from the river. The boy’s kindness was returned to him.

For the scripture reading, Mr. Bob read John 1:10-14“10 He was in the world and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Staff member Shannon Buel sang a vocal solo for special music. Pastor Owens preached on “New Garments”, the congregation sang “My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less”, and Pastor Owens had closing prayer.

Following are notes on the sermon:

1.

Every part of the Bible has its purpose for us, including the story of Adam and Eve hiding in the Garden after their sin.

2.

Genesis 3:8 “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.”

3.

God knew immediately what had happened. The blaming game started, ending up right back at God.

4.

Genesis 3:14 “And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou [art] cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:”

5.

Apparently there was a change in the life of the snake. God here turns to Satan and says He will put hatred between humans and Satan. They will be uncomfortable with Satan.

6.

This is the first prophecy God makes. He says that Satan’s head will be crushed, and Satan will not be able to do too much with him.

7.

Satan heard that he was going to die due to the seed of the woman.

8.

Then God turns to the curses placed on Adam, on Eve.

9.

Genesis 3:20 “And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.”

10.

Adam calls his wife Eve, the mother of all living even though there were no children yet. He steps out in faith when he does this.

11.

This is the man who woke up looking in the face of God. The next time he woke up he saw a beautiful creature who was his mate.

12.

Three types of enmity here – between snake and woman, between their seed, between the snake itself and the woman.

13.

So Satan deals with the problem immediately with Cain and Abel.

14.

1 John 3:12 “Not as Cain, [who] was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.”

15.

Satan was in charge of Cain’s thoughts, Cain acting on Satan’s behalf. After this, Satan thinks he is safe.

16.

Genesis 4:25 “And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, [said she], hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.”

17.

Eve was to name the replacement child Seth, which means “Substitute”. Satan realizes God will create replacements if the first persons are killed.

18.

Genesis 6:1 “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,”

19.

Satan then gets the two groups – those who loved God and those who didn’t – to intermarry, to confuse the divine seed line with that of the world. Hopefully the divine seed line would be lost.

20.

Today magazines, television, Internet distract us today from what we should be thinking and make the truth fuzzy.

21.

God kept telling Peter over and over again to feed His sheep and not worry about situations he could not fix.

22.

God has His hand on the line of Messiah. Satan started over confusing the blood line of the Messiah with Noah. The descendants of Ham and other sons were the enemies of God’s people and tried to destroy Israel so the line of the Messiah couldn’t exist.

23.

Nimrod (meaning “rebellion”) was in charge of building the Tower of Babel.

24.

There are so many stories in the Old Testament showing how Satan tried to distort God’s Plan for the Messiah.

25.

There has not been a plan that Satan has not tried to distort.

26.

God casts our sins into the depths of the sea and says, “No Fishing”.

27.

We can claim the righteousness of Christ – good news.

28.

Revelation 12:1 “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:”

29.

God’s church is about to give birth, and Satan tries to get rid of this seed of the woman and even used King Herod to try to kill Christ at His birth.

30.

My Redeemer lives and my faith is built on Him. He can recreate me. My desire is to feed God’s sheep.

31.

1 John 5:13 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

32.

If we have this eternal life living in us, we have the very life of Christ.

33.

Now I claim in my prayers the belief that God will do what He says He will do – heal the sick, raise the dead, empower those who try to reach those who are hurting.

34.

May we choose to offer the power of a risen Savior to others.